Kalevala

The Kalevala is a 19th-century work of epic poetrycompiled by Elias Lönnrot from Finnish and Karelian oral folklore andmythology. It is regarded as the national epic of Finland and is one of the most significant works of Finnish literature. The Kalevala played an instrumental role in the development of the Finnish national identity, the intensification ofFinland's language strife and the growing sense of nationality that ultimately led to Finland's independence from Russia in 1917. The version most commonly known today was first published in 1849 and consists of 22,795 verses, divided into fifty songs. The title can be interpreted as "The land of Kaleva" or "Kalevia".